As usage of the Internet expands, more and more people are purchasing multiple Personal Computers (PCs) for use by family members in the home. These multiple PCs can be “networked” together in the home to share and access common resources such as printers, files and Internet access (e.g., xDSL and cable modems). One well-known technology which has assisted in fueling the growth of networking is deployment of Local Area Networks (LAN) based on Ethernet (covered under several standards referred to generally as IEEE 802.3x), which has become the “default” LAN infrastructure standard.
At present, there are several types of the existing ubiquitous Ethernet technology that may be used in certain home networking applications, with each having its own standard to assure interoperability among various equipment vendors. A first type is the Power Line Communications (PLC) application that utilizes so-called Ethernet over Power (EoP) under the HomePlug standard, which allows the standard 10 Mbps Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet (IEEE 802.3u) to be deployed over the “common” home power line wiring distribution/infrastructure. The “HomePlug Powerline Alliance” (www.homeplug.org) coordinates interoperability among the various vendors of HomePlug compatible transceiver devices. A second type is the so-called Power over Ethernet (PoE) under the IEEE 802.3af standard, which allows DC power to be carried over the standard 10 Mbps Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet (IEEE802.3u) wirings. The underlying objective of PoE is to allow networking ready ancillary equipments/components the ease of having only “one” connectivity that combines the data and powering (less than 15 watts). The 802.3af standard provides for single cabling with a low voltage data line (Category 5, 5E, or higher grade) installation, and a nominal DC voltage of 48 volts (−10%, +20%) at 15.4 watts maximum continuous load.